INQUIRER file photo
It’s not only Metro Manila residents who will bear the brunt of road repairs this Holy Week. Aside from concrete reblocking on EDSA, there are road repairs scheduled or ongoing in over a dozen major thoroughfares in Luzon. These are expected to slow down traffic in their respective areas.
In an advisory, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said over the weekend that motorists heading north should watch out for road and bridge projects in the following areas:
– Section of the Manila North Road between Carmen town in Pangasinan and La Union province;
– Sections of the same road in the towns of Urdaneta, Binalonan, Pozurubio, Sison and Villasis, also in Pangasinan;
– Kilometers 265 to 269 in La Union;
– The Bantay section of the Manila North Road in Ilocos Sur;
– Bangui, Ilocos Norte, where the Banban and Baruyen bridges are undergoing construction; and
– Kilometer 236+500 on Kennon Road, where only one lane is open, and Km. 236+400.
For Bicol-bound motorists, these projects are expected to slow traffic:
– The Tabugon-Sta. Elena section of the Manila South Road, also known as Daang Maharlika;
– Labo, Cabuluan and Laniton roads in Camarines Norte, where bridges are being built;
– Pili, Camarines Sur, where the San Jose bridge is being constructed;
– Cabangan, Bascaran and Oas Diversion roads in Albay, where bridges are being put up; and
– A section of Daang Maharlika in Sorsogon, which is undergoing repair.
Meanwhile, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson has activated the agency’s “Lakbay Alalay” program to assist motorists during Holy Week.
On Friday, the DPWH ordered its contractors with ongoing road works to clear the national highways of obstructions and idle equipment in anticipation of the volume of travellers this Holy Week.
The DPWH field units were also instructed to conduct road checks, including the installation of directional signs, resealing of damaged pavements and application of thermoplastic pavement markings.
Singson cited the various ongoing road activities at the Manila North Road between Carmen, Pangasinan and La Union, which would greatly affect vehicular flow for motorists headed to the Ilocos and Cordillera Regions.
Noting that Baguio City was one of the most popular destinations for local and foreign pilgrims and vacationers, Singson said the ongoing pavement rehabilitation works on Kennon Road would affect the mobility of motorists.
He advised motorists going to Baguio to take the Marcos Highway instead.
For those heading south using the Daang Maharlika (Manila South Road), Singson said, several ongoing projects may also slow down travel.
These projects include the road widening works at Tabugon-Sta Elena Section and construction of Labo, Bulala, Cabuluan and Laniton Bridges in Camarines Norte; construction of San Jose Bridge in Pili, Camarines Sur; Bascaran, Cabangan and Oas Diversion Bridges in Albay; and Daang Maharlika improvement project in Sorsogon.
“Volume of vehicles utilizing the Manila North Road and Manila South Road, which form part of the Philippine-Japan Friendship Highway, is usually at its peak during Holy Wednesday to Easter Sunday,” Singson noted.
With reports by Tina G. Santos, Jerry E. Esplanada
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